The purpose of the Youth Bank Maribor

The Youth Bank Maribor is a learning, volunteer project the purpose of which is to promote volunteer work among youths and to further different skills and/or competences of youths who participate through a guided learning process.
The Youth Bank Maribor originates from the international project YouthBank International which the Youth Cultural Centre Maribor adapted and developed for the purposes of the local environment with the help of the Caretakers Committee of the Youth Bank Maribor.

The local fund for youth with ideas – Youth Bank Maribor ensures lesser financial means for projects, which are prepared and executed by the youth between 18 and 29 years of age; the projects contribute to the development of the local community, especially individual districts and/or local communities.
In addition to ensuring lesser financial means the Youth Bank Maribor offers the youth a quality training programme intended for gaining or strengthening new competences and knowledge for the realisation of one owns ideas.

Strategic goals of the Youth Bank Maribor

• to ensure possibilities for the youth to help other youths in gaining financial means for executing projects with which positive changes in local communities are achieved,
• to promote and develop a high-quality process of training for youths with the intention of gaining or strengthening new competences and knowledge for the realisation of one's own ideas,
• to set up a long-term collaboration with city districts and/or local communities,
• to encourage the development of local youth politics on the field of decentralisation of youth activities,
• to develop a Youth Bank Maribor into a long-term youth programme which will not only function in the municipality of Maribor but will also spread as good practise into other local communities.

The operation of the Youth Bank Maribor

The Youth Bank Maribor was established and operates inside the public institution of the Youth Cultural Centre Maribor, but the ones who established the rules of operation in the Youth Bank Maribor were the youth, the members of the Caretakers Committee of the Youth Bank Maribor. The members of the Caretakers committee of the Youth Bank Maribor are also the ones who proposed projects in accordance with the regulations of the co-funding. The members of the Caretakers Committee of the Youth Bank Maribor are accompanying the youth in executing their projects.

General guidelines of operation of the Youth Bank Maribor:

• the activities of the Youth Bank Maribor are proposed and executed by the youth, the role of the coordinator (the Youth Cultural Centre Maribor) is to provide consulting and support,
• all activities are open to all between the age of 18 and 29 - we realise that some youth have less opportunities for active co-creation of the local community; this is why the Youth Bank Maribor will give emphasis on gaining the cooperation of these youths,
• all activities of the Youth Bank Maribor contribute to building competences, knowledge and skills of the youth,
• the Youth Bank Maribor co-funds ideas of up to 1,000.00 € gross,
• all activities of the Youth Bank Maribor are realised in the municipality of Maribor; all co-funded programmes have to be realised in the municipality of Maribor,
• the Youth Bank Maribor informs the local community regularly, promptly and transparently about the purposes the fund has granted financial funding for,
• the Youth Bank Maribor cooperates and enters into agreements with youths, informal groups of youths and different organisations for mutual cooperation for the benefit of youths in the municipality of Maribor and the upgrade of the program Youth Bank Maribor.

The Caretakers Committee of the Youth Bank Maribor

On the basis of the tender in 2012 a Caretakers Committee for the Youth Bank Maribor with 8 members was established.

The Caretakers committee of the Youth Bank Maribor:

• prepares the rules of procedure of the Caretakers committee,
• prepares a proposal of the list of rules of the fund,
• prepares a proposal of the tender documentation for the distribution of the funds,
• examines the entries for the call for the distribution of the funds, evaluates them according to regulations and prepares a proposal for projects which are funded by the fund,
• monitors the progress of the projects co-funded by the fund,
• offers the youth help in executing the projects co-funded by the fund,
• promotes the fund and informs the youth about the activities of the fund,
• cooperates with various agents in the local community with the purpose of promoting and developing the fund,
• cooperates in gaining additional funds for the fund,
• provides a link between the youth and the fund,
• designs and suggests youth training,
• performs other tasks related to the promotion and development of the fund.

The operation of the Caretakers Committee is mentored by the Youth Cultural Centre Maribor. The members of the Caretakers Committee develop their potential and gain new experience and skills on different fields of youth work through a guided learning experience.

In 2014 the Caretakers Committee renewed and increased the number of members.

Co-financed projects of the Youth Bank Maribor in 2013

11 applications were filed in the period between 5th June and 28 August 2013 as part of the appeal of the Youth Bank Maribor. The Youth Bank Maribor co-financed the preparation and execution of 5 projects of the following authors:

• project of Nina Mastnak titled Scan your Carreer which was granted 1,000.00 € of gross funds,
• project of Špela Premzel titled Primary Prevention in the Area of Abuse was granted 1,000.00 € of gross funds,
• project of Špela Premzel titled Workshop on Stereotypes about Nationalities was granted 1,000.00 € of gross funds,
• project of Nina Mladenović titled Fit Academy which was granted 1,000.00 € of gross funds,
• project of Petra Alenc titled Thinking with Nature and Eating Healthy which was granted 941.97 € of gross funds.

12 applications were filed in the period between 18th October and 5 December 2013 as part of the appeal of the Youth Bank Maribor. The Youth Bank Maribor co-financed the preparation and execution of 7 projects of the following authors:

• project of Mateja Koren, The Preparation and Presentation of the Prevention Programme Metulj for the Promotion of Childrens' Potential, Development of Creativity and Strengthening of Social Skills, which received 600.00 € in gross,
• project of Špela Premzel, December Celebrations from the Past Until Now: from Grandparents to Grandchildren and Back, which received 600.00 € in gross,
• project of Tina Krajnc, Maribor through the Lens of Young Photographers which was granted 800.00 € in gross,
• project of Danuška Breznik, The World of Deaf and Hard of Hearing, an Overlooked World? which was granted 432.00 € in gross,
• project of Boštjan Eržen, Radio Workshop, which was granted 800.00 € in gross,
• project of Barbara Polajnar, Do You Have a LOCAL PROBLEM? I will Tell You a GLOBAL SOLUTION!, which was granted 800.00 € of gross funds,
• project of Monika Pocrnič, Recycling of Invasionists, which was granted 768.00 € in gross.

In 2013 the Youth Bank Maribor divided 9,741.97 € among the authors.

Additional information and contact

Youth Bank Maribor- Local fund for youth with ideas
Youth Cultural Centre Maribor
Ob železnici 16, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia

FB: Lokalni sklad za mlade z idejami – Banka idej
FB: MKC Maribor

Contact for the Caretakers Committee of the Youth Bank Maribor: Nina Pohleven, nina.pohleven@gmail.com
Contact for the Youth Cultural Centre Maribor: Marja Guček, marja.gucek@mkc.si, bankaidej@mkc.si